Note:
Gunnar Myrdal died in 1987, less than 70 years ago.
Therefore, this work is protected by copyright,
restricting your legal rights to reproduce it.
However, you are welcome to view it on screen, as you do now.
Read more about copyright.
Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - IX. Leadership and Concerted Action - 33. The American Pattern of Individual Leadership and Mass Passivity - 3. Mass Passivity - 4. The Patterns Exemplified in Politics and throughout the American Social Structure
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
7i6 An American Dilemma
masses as a weakness. These two cultural traits of America have, in their
historical development, been complementary. But individual activity and
mass activity are not necessarily antagonistic principles. It is possible to
envisage a future development where the masses in America participate
more intensively in political activities of various sorts, but where, never-
theless, outstanding individuals are permitted to have wide space for their
initiative according to the great American tradition. Such a social system, if
it ever developed, would realize in the highest degree the age-old ideal of
a vitalized democracy. It would result, not only in a decrease in the im-
mense class differences in America, but more fundamentally, it would effect
a higher degree of integration in society of the many millions of anony-
mous and atomized individuals: a strengthening of the ties of loyalty run-
ning through the entire social fabric; a more efficient and uncorrupted
performance of all public functions; and a more intense and secure feeling
on the part of the common citizen of his belongingness to, responsibility
for, and participation in the commonwealth as a great cooperative human
endeavor—a realization of a fuller life.
4. The Patterns Exemplified in Politics and Throughout the
American Social Structure
This is a dream—and a dream well in line with the ideals contained in
the American Creed—but the American patterns of individual leadership
and mass passivity are a reality that can be studied in all social spheres.
They are, of course, particularly apparent in the political life of the nation.
In both local and national politics the individual officeholder is—for the
period he is in office—awarded much more power than he would be in
democratic European nations. What is even more important, he is allowed
and, indeed, expected to follow the inclinations of his personal drives and
ideas much more unhampered by laws and regulations or particularly by
continuous and democratic participation from the people.*^
In local politics, America has, on the whole, not spread political respon-
sibility upon countless citizens^ boards, as have, for example, the Northern
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
